Separable fastener



July 20, 1965 P. M. SPENCE SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed Sept. 23. 1965 FIG.4

INVENTOR PETER MARViN SPENCE ewfif ATTORNEYS FIG. 3

3,195,202 SEPARABLE FASTENER Peter Marvin Spence, 133 Sylvan Ave, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada Filed Sept. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 310,546 7 Claims. (til. 2423tl) This invention relates to a buckle for bracelets and in particular to a buckle having a retractable,safety chain that can be used with wrist watch bracelets, jewelry bracelets and the like.

A buckle according to the invention includes a housing that can be attached to one end of a bracelet and a slide member that can be attached to the other end of the bracelet. The slide member is insertable into the housing and can be releasably locked thereto. The housing also contains a retractor to which is attached one end of a flexible strand, the other end of the strand being secured to the slide member. The flexible strand constitutes a safety chain. A feature of the invention is that the strand extends through an aperture in the latch and is adapted to bias the latch transversely of the strand into latching engagement with the slide member.

The object of the invention is to provide a buckle of simple and durable construction, which is reliable in operation, and which can easily be attached to a bracelet.

The foregoing and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a buckle constructed in accordance with the invention, the buckle being in released or unlocked condition with its cover partly lifted away to reveal the internal construction;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing the retractor embodied in the buckle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the buckle in locked condition, with the cover partly broken away; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative form of retractor.

Referring to the drawings, a buckle comprises a housing attached to one end of a bracelet 11, and a slide member 12 attached to its other end. A latch 13 is provided in the housing for engaging the slide member when the latter is inserted into the housing. The housing also contains a retractor 14 to which is secured one end 15a of a flexible strand 15 which constitutes the flexible safety chain, the other end 15b of the strand being secured to the slide member.

The housing 10 comprises a channel-shaped frame 16 and a flanged cover 17 which fits snugly over the frame 16. The frame includes a web 18, opposed flanges 19 which constitute side walls, and a transverse flange 20 which extends between the flanges 19 adjacent one end of the frame; at its other end the frame is open. Two aligned circular openings 21 are provided near the ends of the flanges 19 which are adjacent the flange 26, for receiving the opposite ends of a conventional spring bar or push pin 22 of the type commonly used to a couple a bracelet to a wrist watch. The cover 17 is hinged at one end to the frame 16 by means of the free ends of the pin 22 which extend through aligned circular openings in the flanges of the cover.

The retractor 14 comprises a spindle 23 fast to the web 18 of the housing 10 by means of a screw 24, a drum 25 freely rotatable on the spindle, and a spiral spring 26 which biases the drum into strand-winding condition. The web 18 of the housing is dished upwardly around the foot of the spindle 23 to form a bearing surface for the drum.

United States Patent 0 The drum 25 is hollow, and in the form shown in FIG. 2 it includes a cylindrical wall 27 and circular flanges 28 and 29. Registering with a central opening in the flange 23 is a closure 38 which can be pried open to expose the interior of the drum.

The ends of the spiral spring 26 respectively are engaged in any conventional manner to the spindle 23 and to the cylindrical wall 27 of the drum in order that the drum may be biased into strand-winding condition, as mentioned previously. The spring illustrated in the drawings has been shown as being wound clockwise. It is obvious that a spring of opposite hand would be equally acceptable; the strand 15 would then be wound in the opposite direction around the drum, and the latch 13 would be reversed in operation. The end 15a of the strand 15 is looped through three small closely spaced openings 31 provided in the cylindrical wall 27 of the drum and thus it is secured to the drum. The strand preferably is a nylon monofilament of about 25 pounds test for a buckle suitable for a mans bracelet, and of about 10 to 15 pounds test for a buckle suitable for a ladys bracelet.

The latch 13 comprises a cylindrical shaft 32 having an end 32a of reduced diameter which creates a shoulder 32b. Secured to the shaft at approximately its mid point is a lug 33 through which extends an aperture 34 which provides a guide for the strand 15. The ends of the shaft 32 are received in aligned circular openings provided in the opposed flanges 19 of the housing, and a helical spring 35 extending between the lug 33 and the more adjacent flange l9 urges the shaft axially in one sense, the movement of the shaft in that sense being limited by'the engagement of its shoulder 32b with the other flange 19. Incidentally, the cover 17 may be locked in closed condition relative to the frame 16 by the registration and the engagement of the end 32a of the shaft 32 with an opening 36 provided in the adjacent side of the cover. It will be evident that the cover can be released by pushing axially the shaft 32 against the force of the spring 35, thus to disengage the end 32a of the shaft from the cover.

The slide member 12 comprises a blade 37 having a stepped portion 38 embodying opposed flanges 3?. In these flanges are aligned openings which receive the ends of a conventional spring bar or push pin 40 whereby one end of the bracelet is coupled to the slide member. In the blade 37 is a hooked locking finger 41 adapted to engage the lug 33 of the latch 13.

When the buckle is in locked condition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the slide member 12 has been inserted in the housing 10, and the hooked locking finger 41 of the blade 37 is in locking engagement with the lug 33 of the latch member 13. The spiral spring 26 continually biases the drum 25 into strand-winding condition, and thus when the buckle is in locked condition the strand is fully wound around the drum. The strand i5 is always under tension, and consequently it assists the helical spring 35 to bias the latch into locking condition.

To release the latch, the end 32a of the shaft 32 is pushed axially, thus disengaging the lug 33 from the hooked locking finger 41; the slide member can then be withdrawn from the housing. As the slide member is withdrawn, the strand 15 unwinds from the drum against the force of the spiral spring 26.

With the slide member withdrawn from the housing and the strand fully extended, the bracelet can easily be removed from the wrist of the wearer. To replace the bracelet the latch is released and the strand is extended; the bracelet then is slipped over the hand of the wearer and the slide member is inserted into the housing, a distinct click being head when the latch is engaged.

An alternate form of retractor drum is illustrated in FIG. 4. This drum (generally indicated by reference numeral 51) comprises a first hollow cylinder 43 integral with and concentric with a second hollow cylinder 49% of smaller diameter than the first cylinder 48. The drum 51 is freely rotatable on a spindle and is provided with a spiralspring which biases it into strand-winding condition; these details are similar to those of the retractor 14 first described. The exterior of the drum 51, howover, has a different configuration than that of'the drum 25,

i.e. the drum 51 has two concentric cylindrical portions of different diameter, namely the larger hollow cylinder 48 and the smaller hollow cylinder 49. The strand is Wound around the smaller cylinder 49 and the spring and the mechanism associated with the springtwhich is similar to that of the retractor 14) is located within the larger drum 43. The. advantage of this construction is that the overall diameter of the drum 51 can be smaller 7 than that of the drum 25, because the strand is Wound around the small cylinder 49 and not around the portion of the drum which houses the spring. An annular flange 50 extends around the bottom edge of the cylinder 49 to prevent the strand from accidentally falling off the end of the drum. 7

It will be understood that the form of the invention i herewith shown and described is a preferred example and that various modifications can be carried out without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A buckle for a bracelet comprising a housing for attachment to one end of the bracelet; a latch in the housing that is movable transversely of the housing; a slide member for attachment to the other end of .the bracelet and adapted to be inserted into the housing for engagement by the latch;ra flexiblestrand which is connected at one end to the 'slide member and which extends through an aperture in the latch and is adapted to bias the latch transversely of the strand into latching engagement with a the slide member; and a strand retractor in the housing and connected to the opposite end of the strand for draw- 7 ing the strand into the housing.

2. A buckle as claimed in claim l wherein the latch comprises a shaft extending between two opposed side walls of the'housing, and a lug'on the shaft that is adapted to engage the slide'member to releasably lock it to the housing,and wherein the said aperture is in the lug.

3, A buckle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the slide member includes a hooked locking finger that can be engaged by the latch.

4. A buckle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the shaft has an end which can be pushed axially against the tension of the strand to disengage the latch from the slide member.

5. A buckle for a bracelet comprising a housing for attachment to one end of the bracelet; a latch in the housing that is movable transversely of the housing; a strand retractor comprising a spindle fast to the housing, a drum freely rotatable on the spindle, and a spiral spring under tension within the drum and having one endanchored to the spindle and its other end secured to the drum; a slide member for attachment to the other end a of the bracelet and adapted to be inserted into the housing for engagement by the latch; and a flexible strand which is connected at one end to the slide member and which extends through an aperture in the latch and is adapted to bias the latch transversely of the strand into latching engagement with the slide member, the opposite end of the strand being connected to the drum whereby the tension of the spiral spring continually biases the drum into strand-winding condition, whereby the strand is fully wound around the drum when the buckle is in locked condition.

6. A buckle as claimed in claim 5 wherein the slide member includes a hooked locking finger; wherein the latch comprises a shaft extending between two opposed side walls of the housing, and a lug on the shaft adapted to engage the locking finger to releasably lock the slide member to the housing; and wherein the said aperture is in the lug.

7. A buckle as claimed in claim 5 wherein the drum comprises a first hollow cylinder integral with and concentric with asec ond hollow cylinder of smaller diameter than the first cylinder, wherein the spiral spring is located inside the first cylinder and wherein the strand is wound around the second cylinder.

References Cited by the UNITED STATES PATENTS DONLEY J. STOCKlNG, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BUCKLE FOR A BRACELET COMPRISING A HOUSING FOR ATTACHMENT TO ONE END OF THE BRACELET; A LATCH IN THE HOUSING THAT IS MOVABLE TRANSVERSELY OF THE HOUSING; A SLIDE MEMBER FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE OTHER END OF THE BRACELET AND ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED INTO THE HOUSING FOR ENGAGEMENT BY THE LATCH; A FLEXIBLE STRAND WHICH IS CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE SLIDE MEMBER AND WHICH EXTENDS THROUGH AN APERTURE IN THE LATCH AND IS ADAPTED TO BIAS THE LATCH TRANSVERSELY OF THE STRAND INTO LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SLIDE MEMBER; AND A STRAND RETRACTOR IN THE HOUSING AND CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSING END OF THE STRAND FOR DRAWING THE STRAND INTO THE HOUSING. 